- Jan 16, 2017
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How many seasons do kids typically spend at Level 1 in All Star Cheer?
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Level Question
- Thread starter Nikki Stewart
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cheer25mom
Cheer Parent
- Aug 10, 2011
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There is no set answer as to how long is too long at level 1. They should stay at level 1 untill they have all the skills for level 2, and how long that takes is different for every kid.
It sounds to me based on the skills you are listing that there is a possibility her handspring may be weak, given that she has a standing tuck and RO tuck, but not RO BHS tuck. How is her handspring technique? Is it ready for level2? No bent arms or frog legs, adequate speed and power, hands off the floor before feet land, maintaining the "rainbow" position in the air? Does she have ALL of her level 2 tumbling skills? BWO BHS, standing BHS, t jump to BHS, BHS step out BWO BHS, roundoff series and FWO through to series? Can she stunt, jump, and dance at level 2? If the answer to all of this is yes, then I think I would ask the gym for an explanation of WHY she was placed on level 1 again, and what she needs to work on in order to move up. I think I also would allow her to try out elsewhere and see how they place her.
It sounds to me based on the skills you are listing that there is a possibility her handspring may be weak, given that she has a standing tuck and RO tuck, but not RO BHS tuck. How is her handspring technique? Is it ready for level2? No bent arms or frog legs, adequate speed and power, hands off the floor before feet land, maintaining the "rainbow" position in the air? Does she have ALL of her level 2 tumbling skills? BWO BHS, standing BHS, t jump to BHS, BHS step out BWO BHS, roundoff series and FWO through to series? Can she stunt, jump, and dance at level 2? If the answer to all of this is yes, then I think I would ask the gym for an explanation of WHY she was placed on level 1 again, and what she needs to work on in order to move up. I think I also would allow her to try out elsewhere and see how they place her.
- Jan 9, 2010
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Every kid is different. I've coached kids who progressed out of level 1 in several months, and some who stayed level 1 for several years. Neither is wrong, just different.
BlockHead
Cheer Parent
- Sep 20, 2013
- 558
- 729
Depends on the kid. My CP is starting her 6th season at level 1. Yes, she has done back handsprings on the floor. But only standing back handsprings. They are weak and she has no other "level 2" skills. If my CP ever makes it to level 2, great! If she is always a level 1, great! She is having fun! Tumbling does not come easy to my kid.
alpaca
Cheer Parent
- Apr 21, 2017
- 509
- 559
Sort of a hijack but: Out of curiosity, if an athlete progresses out of a level within months, what do you do then? Do they just stay in the lower level for the rest of the season?
I can think of a particular athlete last year (not my cp) who was in level 1, but had level 2 skills by October. She was working series BHS while her teammates were still trying to get a cartwheel. I felt like it helped the gym to keep her on L1 but it really wasn't a good fit for her as an athlete.
I know that team placements are complicated and as a parent I don't know the whole story, I'm just wondering what you do as a coach when someone is ready to move out of level 1 but technically the season has started.
BlockHead
Cheer Parent
- Sep 20, 2013
- 558
- 729
At my CPs gym, she would have stayed on level 1. We attend our first competition in late October or early November, so it is too late to change. And if she was still only working on her series by October, she would not qualify for level 2 at our gym (she could have joined our prep level 2 team) as you must be proficient in all level 2 skills before going to level 2.
alpaca
Cheer Parent
- Apr 21, 2017
- 509
- 559
I love this idea and i think it helps avoid resentment. If you don't have the skill by try-outs, you can't be considered for that level team. But it's not the case where we are. We have girls on L3 without a standing back handspring. And yet here was this girl who had more skills but was on a L1. I don't understand our gym's placement decisions.
- Jan 9, 2010
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Depends on the situation. Typically, even if the child has progressed past level 1 in tumbling, they still need improvement in the other areas of the scoresheet. Staying on a level 1 team gives them the time to perfect their jump, dance, and stunting skills. If there's a need or a spot, we'll sometimes cross the athlete up to a higher level team, but they always remain on their home team.
cheer25mom
Cheer Parent
- Aug 10, 2011
- 3,489
- 5,810
I can see why your gym might place a few select kids out of level: Sometimes, especially at a smaller gym, a single kid or 2 without the level appropriate tumbling may be placed on a team out of necessity. We have one girl on our level 4 this year without level 4 tumbling because we had to have another backspot and she was the best fit for that. It should be on a a very limited basis though or you can mess up tumbling ratios. Ideally, all of a team should max out the level to be competitive, but sometimes you have to make an exception to make the stunting work. Our gym very rarely moves kids from one team to another midseason. Its too hard to make a spot for them, especially if any choero has been done. We have lots of kids who gain skills for the next level midseason. Most of them aren't ready to compete those skill as soon as they get them however, and as @retiredl5cheer said, all other areas have to catch up to the tumbling as well. For example: my CP got her tuck in September. She spent the whole season on level 2, but was working all of her skills, not just tumbling, outside of practice to be level 3 ready for next season.
- Jul 29, 2010
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I had this situation happen on my J1 team a few seasons ago. The athlete started with no backwalkover and had a full by the end of the year. She remained on level 1 for that season, and crossed up to level 2 when we needed a fill in for a competition. The next season she was placed on level 3. Which was appropriate for her stunting ability at the time. Going from level 1 to 5 would be a HUGE jump for an 11 year old.
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At our gym, our owner is big on kids progressing safely and being on age-appropriate teams. My daughter is going into her fourth season and will still be on a level 1 team (most likely mini). She started the summer before kindergarten on a tiny team. Gained all level 1 skills and had a bhs on a wedge mat. We switched gym and spent the entire first year reworking all level 1 skills, and learning the basics she didn't learn at the other gym (like a backbend kickover, backbend pull up, and fwo, bwo, etc on the opposite leg). Their motto is perfection before progression. We spent that season on tiny 1 and this last season on mini 1. I do feel like sometimes she is being held back from progressing, as she's had all of the required skills for level 2 for over a year and is just now throwing round off bhs on the rod and standing bhs still on the trampoline or wedge. However, there is still form to correct. It's a slow process at our gym, but it's much better than what we were doing at the old gym. Just wish there was more of a happy medium when it comes to learning new skills!
cheer25mom
Cheer Parent
- Aug 10, 2011
- 3,489
- 5,810
Did you mean she has had all the required level 1 skills?
My CP was in a similar situation, but she started a little older. She was 7 our first year and spent a half season and 2 full seasons on level 1, She should have had one more level 1 season, but she was needed on level 2. She had all her level 1 skills by the end of the first full season, but it took her another 2 years after that to max out level 2. I am GLAD she wasn't rushed. I have seen so many kids rush to push through levels only to end up with mental blocks and not tumbling at all. Several have gone outside our gym to find coaches willing to work skills outside the progression and have almost all had negative results eventually like blocks, stalled skills ,ect.
Perfection before progression is stressed in our gym as well and I think it has led to fewer injuries and fewer mental blocks. It has also resulted in my CP progressing much more rapidly at higher levels because she had solid basic skills. She has been throwing her tuck for about 8 months now and the coaches are already talking about what polishing needs to be done to get her ready for a level 4 tumbling class. She was a kid that took 2 1/2 years to get a BHS and another 2 1/2 to get a tuck. She is seeing all of the work perfecting her form paying off now.
Yes lol she has all required level 1 skills for the last year. She was finally moved up to level 2 tumbling with drills even though in her private (at the gym) she's past that. Trust me, we have some INSANE parents on our team. Tryouts were tonight and.....wow. I'm totally fine with my kiddo being on level 1 another year; she's not ready for level 2 anyway. Because of the extra time in level 1 she's also been last pass the last two years, is up front, and a strong teammate. I just get frustrated that crazy moms kids get moved up while we follow all the rules and are still where we're at. She's a kid who likes to be pushed and she's been bored for quite some time. But, she's 8 and has PLENTY of time to get where she wants to be!
My daughter is entering her 6th season on a level one team. She has had all perfected level one skills for 5 years and all around level 2 skills for about 6 months. Level 2 is just not an option ( we come from a smaller gym) but she is getting so sick of performing level one. Honestly I don't blame her but she begged to leave a gym she would have been placed on level 2, luckily she is able to progress in tumbling at her 0wn progression rate!
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